Weak Six: NFL Attendance Woes Continue As Thousands of Seats Go Empty

As the NFL’s Week Six kicked off across the country, it still looked as if stadium attendance had not rebounded despite the small increase the league has seen in the television ratings.

Last week, with national anthem protests nearly extinguished, the league was encouraged by news that ratings had stopped sliding and that there was even a modest three percent gain after two seasons of losing viewers. However, though fans may no longer be abandoning their TVs, the same cannot necessarily be said of in-person attendance at the games.

For instance, the NFL has hopes for expanding the reach of the game by playing in foreign locales such as Britain’s Wembley Stadium. But according to those watching on TV and in attendance, there were thousands of empty seats in the grand stadium as the Seattle Seahawks dominated the L.A. Raiders in London.

The league said a huge number of tickets were sold, but fans aren’t convinced:

Likewise, as the Denver Broncos take on the Rams (with the Rams beating up on the Broncs by the third quarter at press time), fans at Sports Authority Field may have decided to take in other local activities in the Mile High City: